Machine for attaching buttons, buckles, and like ornaments to boots, shoes, gaiters, and kindred articles.



T. H. & W. H. STRINGER. MACHINE FOR ATTAGHING BUTTONS, BUCKLES, AND LIKE ORNAMENTS TO BOOTS, SHOES,

GAITERS, AND KINDRED ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOTZQ, 1907.

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Patented May 11, 1909.

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T. H. 6: W. H. STRINGER.

TS, SHOES,

MACHINE FOR .ATTAOHING B UTTONS, BUCKLES, AND LIKE ORNAMENTS T0 BOO GAITERS, AND KINDRED ARTIOLES.

APPLIUATION FILED NGVJZQ, 1907.

Patented May 11, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFTQE.

THOMAS HIGGINSON STRINGER AND WILLIAM HENRY STRINGER, OF LEICESTER, ENGLANDL MACHINE FOR ATTACHING- BUTTONS, BUCKLES, AND LIKE ORNAMENTS TO BOOTS, SHOES, GAITERS, AND KINDRED ARTICLES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS HIGGINSON STRINGER and WILLIAM HENRY STRINGER, sewing-machinists, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Leicester, in the county of Leicester, England, have invented a new and useful Machine for Attaching Buttons, Buckles, or Like Ornaments to Boots, Shoes, Gaiters, and Kindred Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of machine wherein a wire staple is formed, driven home, and clenched, and consists in a novel arrangement and combination of parts whereby, while one staple is being driven into the work, the next one is in process of formation, so enabling the above enumerated operations to be performed in a continuous and more expeditious manner than heretofore.

According to this invention, wire-feed mechanism is operated simultaneously with a reciprocating plunger formed with a cutter, a staple former, and a tongue, in such a manner that, during the down stroke of the said plunger, a length of wire is fed beneath the cutter, is severed, and is then formed into a staple upon a swage, while the staple formed by the previous down stroke is forced into the work; the staple formed during the down stroke of the plunger is, during the re- 5 turn stroke, pushed off the swage and into the path of said tongue where it is supported upon a spring-controlled lever until the succeeding down stroke of the plunger, whereupon it is forced into the work. And in order that the invention may be readily understood, we will now describe it fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying our improvements, and designed to be operated by any suitable treadle arrangement, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detached view in vertical section, and to a larger scale than the previous figures, of the die-box showing the plunger about to cut off a length of wire. Fig. 4 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 3, showing the interior of the die-box. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the plunger and die-box in the position for clenching the staple. Fig. 6 is likewise a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the plunger in its uppermost position and the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 29, 1907.

Patented May 11, 1909.

Serial NO. 404,205.

staple formed by the previous stroke supported in its groove. Fig. 7 illustrates the means for removing the staple from the swage upon which it has been formed. Fig. 8 is a plan of the arm on which the work is supported, and carrying the die 011 which the staple is clenched.

The plunger a is detachably connected to a rod b,which is supported, by means of a collar 6 upon a spring 6 disposed between the head 0 of the standard 0 and a guide 0 The rod 1) passes up through the head 0, while the lower extremity of the plunger a passes into the die box (Z working in the guide 0 formed upon the front of the stand ard 0 This die-box, as will be hereinafter explained, has a permissive vertical movement to give clearance for placing the work between it and the clenching die 0*.

The plunger (0 is formed with a cutter a a groove a for forming the staple, and a tongue a for driving the formed staple into the work. The back of the die-box (Z is formed with a groove (P, for the reception of a stop a, provided at the back of the plunger (1. for limiting the upward travel of the latter, and this box is furnished with a swage (Z on which the staple i is formed, and with an arm f, the lower end of which is bifurcated to pass on each side of said swage, while the opposite end of this arm. is pivotally mounted within the groove (Z At the rear of the arm f, is a spring-controlled plunger f housed within a block 9 attached to the die-box d, and this spring norm ally maintains the bifurcated end of the arm f in its forward position.

Upon the front of the die-box is a cover plate (it formed with a lateral arm (1*, and a plate (1 whereon is mounted a bent lever. The arm h of this lever extends into a channel (1, as hereinafter described, in the die-box, where it supports the staple i, while the other arm h of said lever is pivotally mounted in the cover plate (1 A spring h is provided for normally maintaining the arm h in the channel. The lateral arm (1 projects through a slot (Z in the cover-plate 0 of the guide 0; this arm on the downward stroke of the plunger, contacting with an adjustable stop 6 which regulates the permissive movement of the die-box.

In order to prevent the channel (Z becoming choked by a twisted or imperfectly formed staple, in case the treadle should not have been fully depressed by the operative,

die-box, and are adapted to be readily operated by the plunger and said staple, and

which means, on separating, bring about the enlargement in width of the channel and thereby the ready ejection of the imperfect staple. These means advantageously consist of two plates (1 pivotally mounted at d on each side of the die-box and extending outwardly oneach sidethereof; and said plates being positioned between the coverplate d and the back of the die-box (Z. The inner ends of each of these plates is rabbeted, so that when the plates are in their normal position, that is to say when they abut one against the other, therabbets constitute the hereinb'efore mentioned channel (1 and to maintain the plates in contact an preserve the normal width of channel, a spring d secured to the underside of the block g, is provided, and is adapted to bear against the outer and upper ends of the plates d". If, therefore, the staple should become twisted or imperfectly formed, and prevent the regular working of the machine, the tongue at of the plunger a, when descending, will cause the said staple to force apart the plates,

so increasing the width of the channel, and will then permit such staple to fall out of the machine, and the working thereof to be at once resumed. The plates (1 are then restored to position by the spring cl.

The wire 7?, for forming the staple, is led from a conveniently disposed spool (not shown), and passes through a hole 73 in the die-box; it is fed into this box by means of mechanism constructed as follows :Upon an arm 9 formed on the block g, is mounted, in a bearing g a hollow shaft j, to one end of which is attached a roller j formed, or provided, with a toothed wheel j while on the other end of said shaft is mounted a ratchet j Passing through the hollow shaft j is an axis is, on which is mounted a disk lc furnished with a spring pawl 76 ada ted to engage with the ratchet j Pivotal y mounted upon the block g, is another arm 1 carrying an axis 1 on which is rotatably mounted another roller Z formed, or provided, with a toothed wheel Z The arm Z is connected to the arm 9 by means of a stud 1* which is furnished with a coiled spring Z, so arranged as to maintain a yielding contact between the two rollers j and Z while their respective toothed wheels 1' and Z are held in gear. The Wire '6 on its way from the spool, passes between the rollers j, Z and thence, by way of a tubular guide 9 to the hole i in the d ie box, and across said die-box until it abuts against the op osite side of the same. To operate the rol ers j P, a cam m is provided, and is formed on a plunger m working in a guide m in the standard 0 Engaging with the cam m is a spring-controlled forked arm m pivotally mounted upon the foot of the machine, the fork receiving a stud mt extending from the rear of the disk W, and said stud serves to rotate the disk. The plunger m is arranged at the rear of the rod 2; in such a manner that a lever a, pivotally mounted in the head of the standard, engages both the rod and the plunger, so that upon vibrating this lever, which may be effected by connecting it, by means of a rod 71 to a treadle (not shown) the plunger and the rodare reciprocated simultaneously.

The standard is formed with a curved arm 0 on which thework is supported, and this arm is furnished with'a die-plate 0 upon the face of which are formed two notches c which turn the points of the staple 1' up into the work.

The working of the machine is as follows:

the wire, the detached piece of which isthereu on brought by the cutter to the swage d lie plunger continuing to. descend bends the wire over the swage by the groove M in said plunger, and the-staple i is thereupon formed, (as shown in Fig. 5)". During this operation, that is to say the forming of the staple, the tongue a of the plunger will have passed into the channel at and engaged with the staple formed by the previous down stroke, this staple having, meanwhile, been supported (as shown in Fig. 6), upon the arm h of the bent lever. The last mentioned staple is now forced by the plunger through the channel (i and when said plunger has descended to its lowermost position in the diebox, it, together with [said die-box, Will be forced down upon the work until the arm (1 on the die-box, contacts with the stop 0 on the cover plate of the guide 0 While forcing the staple through the work, the points of the former will be turned inward by the grooves c in the die-plate 0 with the efiect that the staple will be clenched in the work. The lever a now rises, releasing the spring 6 which latter then forces up the plunger a. The pivotally mounted arm f which, during the descent of the plunger and the formation of the staple, had been forced back, will now be pushed forward by its spring-plunger f whereupon the staple which had been formed upon the swage diwill be pushed into the channel d, and will fall upon the arm h of the bent lever, ready for the next down stroke of the plunger, and so on continuously.

Havmg now described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In a machine for securing buttons, buckles,

or like ornaments to boots, shoes, gaiters, and an adjustable outlet channel for permitting kindred articles, the combination with a rethe passage of a malformed staple.

.ciprocable plunger furnished with a wire out- In witness whereof, we have hereunto ter, a staple former, and a tongue or driver, signed our names in the presence of two sub- 0 of a reciprocating die-box wherein a staple is scribing Witnesses.

[ UZ.L,ESU5 3 formed, wire feed-mechanism attached to THOMAS HIGGINSON STRINGER. said die-box, a plunger for operating said WILLIAM HENRY STRINGER. wire feed-mechanism, and two spring-con- Witnesses: trolled rabbeted plates pivotally mounted WALTER W. BALL,

10 upon the lower end of said die-box to form F. HOOD. 

